For a nation that is so passionate about preserving zygotes that they're jailing people for eating a pill that prevents the ovary from releasing an egg, they sure love fucking actually killing people by every other method under the sun.
I don't think there are that many troubling questions being raised here. The state should not be killing people when they're is any opportunity for mistakes in the process, or for the process to be misused.
Okay, I'm against the death penalty, but I'm not a fan of excusing the horrific actions of this woman "18 years old, her immature, traumatized brain made her exceptionally vulnerable to impulses and extremely poor decisions"
She tortured a young girl, who had a pentagram cut into her chest, and then smashed her head in with a chunk of asphalt, after which she kept a piece of the skull as a momento to "show off".
If this were a man, this wouldn't even be an article. Let's stop infantilising women, please. Execution is rare for women, but rather than excusing her crimes, can we just agree that execution is wrong across the board?
If I were the victim's parents, this article would make me ill.
I think this is what they are referring to more than just her being 18 years old
edit; Just to highlight one particle line from the article about her legal defense; "Christa’s jury never heard about her mental illness, brain damage, and history of rape and abuse, even though all the evidence was available at the time of her trial."
I read the Wikipedia article out of curiosity, yes.
Horrible what she went through. Horrible what she put that girl she murdered through. Violence begets violence. But it doesn't excuse it.
The author insisted on making her gender a central point to his discomfort.
She's no less blameless than a man facing the same judgement having gone through similar trauma. He should also not face the death penalty.
In a civilized society, crime of this magnitude must be dealt with in some way. I don't believe the death penalty should exist, and in her particular case, she likely should have been institutionalized as criminally insane.
I do fully agree with everything you said, and of course gender should not be a factor at all.
It does seems likely though that with a competent defense presenting her extensive trauma, brain damage, bipolar disorder, ptsd, etc, she would've been sentenced to life in prison (or institutionalized) rather than execution.
Also in this particular case, the man involved is not facing the death penalty simply because he was 17 at the time while she was 18, which blows my mind.
How many women do you know set to be executed? That’s why this is an article. You’re right, if it were a man, it wouldn’t be an article bc men commit most of the violent crime. I think you answered your own question. That’s reality, not “infantilization.”
Not many women are set to be executed, no. And men commit most of the violent crime, yes.
But the question I asked was "can we just agree that execution is wrong across the board?"
But the author insisted on making comments like:
"There is a bit of that sentiment reflected in the news coverage of Pike's case. Even as this society seeks to achieve gender equality, there is still something unsettling at the prospect of putting a woman to death""
Why make the distinction here? The shock isn't at how few women are put to death, or that we still have a death penalty at all, but just that a woman is being put to death. Why is the author most unsettled by her gender?
She was mentally disturbed, many men who murder are mentally disturbed. Why draw the distinction?
A male what?
Oh, you mean a man.
Yes, I would feel the same way if it was a man in this situation.
People who are abused as children suffer trauma that affects their brain development. This is a scientific fact.
Maybe you should look into that.
I was abused and neglected by my family. I was raped at 15.
I had a LOT of rage in me.
It came out in self-harm and dangerous behavior. It is a miracle I didn't hurt anyone else.
Yes, a man. Understood you're clarifying the distinction that male refers to the sex vs identity. I'll edit.
I'm aware that people who are abused as children have trauma, and I'm very sorry to hear you've gone through this trauma.
But I'd like to clarify, that I took issue with the article making that gender distinction. Here is another quote from the article:
"There is a bit of that sentiment reflected in the news coverage of Pike’s case. Even as this society seeks to achieve gender equality, there is still something unsettling at the prospect of putting a woman to death"
Make goes with female.
We don't say "a male went to work" - we say a man.
We don't call women female - we call them women.
This is the correct way, yes.
FoxyInTheSnow | 6 hours ago
For a nation that is so passionate about preserving zygotes that they're jailing people for eating a pill that prevents the ovary from releasing an egg, they sure love fucking actually killing people by every other method under the sun.
SeasonPositive6771 | 8 hours ago
I don't think there are that many troubling questions being raised here. The state should not be killing people when they're is any opportunity for mistakes in the process, or for the process to be misused.
overzealoushobo | 7 hours ago
Okay, I'm against the death penalty, but I'm not a fan of excusing the horrific actions of this woman "18 years old, her immature, traumatized brain made her exceptionally vulnerable to impulses and extremely poor decisions"
She tortured a young girl, who had a pentagram cut into her chest, and then smashed her head in with a chunk of asphalt, after which she kept a piece of the skull as a momento to "show off".
If this were a man, this wouldn't even be an article. Let's stop infantilising women, please. Execution is rare for women, but rather than excusing her crimes, can we just agree that execution is wrong across the board?
If I were the victim's parents, this article would make me ill.
Zombee_Brett | 4 hours ago
I'm not trying to condone anything she did, but did you read the linked article about her childhood?
https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/advocacy/christa-pike/
I think this is what they are referring to more than just her being 18 years old
edit; Just to highlight one particle line from the article about her legal defense; "Christa’s jury never heard about her mental illness, brain damage, and history of rape and abuse, even though all the evidence was available at the time of her trial."
overzealoushobo | 3 hours ago
I read the Wikipedia article out of curiosity, yes.
Horrible what she went through. Horrible what she put that girl she murdered through. Violence begets violence. But it doesn't excuse it. The author insisted on making her gender a central point to his discomfort.
She's no less blameless than a man facing the same judgement having gone through similar trauma. He should also not face the death penalty.
In a civilized society, crime of this magnitude must be dealt with in some way. I don't believe the death penalty should exist, and in her particular case, she likely should have been institutionalized as criminally insane.
Zombee_Brett | 3 hours ago
I do fully agree with everything you said, and of course gender should not be a factor at all.
It does seems likely though that with a competent defense presenting her extensive trauma, brain damage, bipolar disorder, ptsd, etc, she would've been sentenced to life in prison (or institutionalized) rather than execution.
Also in this particular case, the man involved is not facing the death penalty simply because he was 17 at the time while she was 18, which blows my mind.
Oldschooldude1964 | 6 hours ago
If I were the victims parent, I would want to be the one executing the sentence.
Domicello | 4 hours ago
How many women do you know set to be executed? That’s why this is an article. You’re right, if it were a man, it wouldn’t be an article bc men commit most of the violent crime. I think you answered your own question. That’s reality, not “infantilization.”
overzealoushobo | 3 hours ago
Not many women are set to be executed, no. And men commit most of the violent crime, yes.
But the question I asked was "can we just agree that execution is wrong across the board?"
But the author insisted on making comments like:
"There is a bit of that sentiment reflected in the news coverage of Pike's case. Even as this society seeks to achieve gender equality, there is still something unsettling at the prospect of putting a woman to death""
Why make the distinction here? The shock isn't at how few women are put to death, or that we still have a death penalty at all, but just that a woman is being put to death. Why is the author most unsettled by her gender?
She was mentally disturbed, many men who murder are mentally disturbed. Why draw the distinction?
HumanBarbarian | 5 hours ago
A male what? Oh, you mean a man. Yes, I would feel the same way if it was a man in this situation. People who are abused as children suffer trauma that affects their brain development. This is a scientific fact. Maybe you should look into that. I was abused and neglected by my family. I was raped at 15. I had a LOT of rage in me. It came out in self-harm and dangerous behavior. It is a miracle I didn't hurt anyone else.
overzealoushobo | 5 hours ago
Yes, a man. Understood you're clarifying the distinction that male refers to the sex vs identity. I'll edit.
I'm aware that people who are abused as children have trauma, and I'm very sorry to hear you've gone through this trauma.
But I'd like to clarify, that I took issue with the article making that gender distinction. Here is another quote from the article:
"There is a bit of that sentiment reflected in the news coverage of Pike’s case. Even as this society seeks to achieve gender equality, there is still something unsettling at the prospect of putting a woman to death"
HumanBarbarian | 5 hours ago
Make goes with female. We don't say "a male went to work" - we say a man. We don't call women female - we call them women. This is the correct way, yes.
overzealoushobo | 5 hours ago
Thanks. I've edited both comments.
HumanBarbarian | 5 hours ago
I do agree with you on the rest. . And that we shouldn't be putting anyone to death.
pitchforksNbonfires | 9 hours ago
A barbaric ritual for a self-claimed enlightened society
thejaysta4 | 9 hours ago
Can you just chuck the text in the post for paywalled articles?
SeasonPositive6771 | 8 hours ago
It's not paywalled. There's a pop-up, but you can just close it.